Interview with Cassie

1) Introduce Yourself.

Hi, I’m Cassie, freshly 32 and live in northern Pennsylvania.  I’ve been eating a carnivore diet since October 1, 2018.

2) How did you eat before Carnivore.

In 2012 I found a podcast Vinnie Tortorich who has coined No Sugar No Grains (NSNG) and I drank up every word he said as I trained for half marathons.  The message is there and it’s solid and simple but I couldn’t quite nail it.

3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.

In 2015 I had a second baby and almost immediately I could tell something wasn’t quite right.  After weeks of research and zero help or support from medical professionals and lactation consultants I determined that my baby was Milk Soy Protein Intolerant and also intolerant to tomatoes, store-bought beef (most likely due to the soy they are fed in feedlots) and eggs.  I went months on strict elimination diets eating mainly chicken, pork, carrots and zucchini to be able to breastfeed. For 15 months I didn’t eat a single thing I didn’t prepare myself and a select few processed and packaged foods. One food that is not an allergen is sugar. I ate a lot of sugar during these 15 months. Coffee and nut milk with sugar, constantly creating dairy-free desserts I ate round the clock.  I’d also determined that gluten, wheat, and nuts were not a trigger for the baby so I made a lot of homemade bread ate my weight in pasta with cashew cream sauces, and on and on. This period of time really showed me what we put in our bodies really effects us in so many ways. My baby had gone from screaming in miserable pain with rashes on his body and projectile vomiting at just days old to complete delight in 8 weeks.  

Post breastfeeding I was successful at Whole-30 for a couple of months and from there transitioned into a keto/NSNG lifestyle.  I would be successful for a couple of weeks and then just lose myself in a couple of days of nothing but carbs. I found the carnivore hashtag on Instagram and dove into that community.  I knew I had to try it. About a week into my journey I was listening to a podcast on a walk when the host said ‘pure abstinence is easier than perfect moderation’ and that hit me like a brick wall.  I’d been attempting for so many years to try to moderate my carb intake and failing 100% of the time. I find that staying away from all carbs is essential to my health.

4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.

For myself, the carnivore diet means that much of my food comes from local farms.  Within 40 miles of my house, I have access to raw milk, raw milk cheese, grass-fed beef, pasture raised pork, chicken and eggs.  I usually have beef in the freezer from a local farmer but I’ve out eaten what he could raise and am currently stuck buying high-quality meat from a bulk store and butcher until July.  

5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.

Since starting carnivore I’ve drastically improved my sleep.  My whole life I’ve struggled to fall asleep and stay asleep, most nights feeling lucky to get three straight hours.  Eating carnivore I’m full of energy all day and can fall and stay asleep with no trouble every single night. Another favourite thing that’s happened since going carnivore is that my mood is so much more stable.  I don’t get worked up over anything anymore. I’m able to look at a situation and evaluate my options rather than lashing out. Other benefits included my hair no longer falling out and my pores shrinking. I also find intermittent fasting easy with a meat-based diet.

6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.

I’ve experienced no negative effects of eating this way but what is frustrating is eating this way around people that do not know the truth about eating red meat.  I find it hard to tolerate that the majority of the US population think that eating the fat off of grass-fed beef or a slice of bacon will significantly shorten their lifespan while they themselves are eating gas station pizza slices, packaged donuts and washing it down with a high sugar coffee milkshake.  

7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.

I joined a gym in February.  In years past I’ve loved running.  I ran 7 half marathons over 5 years but when I joined this gym I did so with the intent to lift weights for the first time in my life.  I started out with an app on my phone that introduced me to the different machines and dumbbells but felt like I was capable of more. I found Sydney Cummings on YouTube and am obsessed. She releases a new video every morning at 5am and has been doing it for over a year so there are pages and pages of workouts to choose from.  I also got a stand-up paddle board recently and plan on spending a lot of time with it on the local lakes this summer.

8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.

I highly encourage anyone interested in feeling good, physically and/or mentally, to try the carnivore diet for a period.  Fight through those sugar cravings that first week with a dash of Redmond’s Real Salt and plenty of good quality meat. I find red meat the most satiating.  

9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.

I hope that the carnivore diet will one day be accepted as a ‘normal’ way of eating but I do think that right now the deck is stacked against that happening in the short future.  There is too much anti-meat propaganda floating around out there with more money behind that is suppressing our message.

10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.

You can follow me on Instagram at cassiethecarnivore.  In the fall I will be starting the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner program through the NTA.  After the NTA I plan on also becoming a certified lactation consultant and a chapter leader for the Weston A. Price Association.  I think it’s really important to spread the message of nutrition affecting every cell in our body and how to get your body functioning at an optimal level.  

Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.

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